Decorticating-machine.



No. 824,244. r I PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906. W. J. HOLLIER.

DEGORTICATING MACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

anuentoz Wihwoaco 4 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906. W. J. HOLLIER.

DEGORTIGATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1905.

ENE-

PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906.

W. J. HOLLIER.

DECORTICATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15 1905 4 SHEETSSHEET 3 Wifheooeo v No. 824,244 PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906.

W. J. HOLLIER. DEOOR'TIGATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron. I

WA LTER HOLLIER, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

DECORTICATING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 26. 1906.

Application filed J 11116 15,1905- Serial No. 265,450- Substitnted for abandoned application filed May 21, 1902. Serial No. 108,336.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER J. HOLLIER, a1 resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, have invented new and useful Im rovemcnts in Decorticating-Machines, whic invention 'is fully set forth in the following specification.

The object of my invention 1s to provide a machine capable of effectively and completely separating the fibers of fibrous stalks-such as hemp, ramie, and jutefrom the woody and other parts of the stalks.

The invention consists in certain improvements in the construction and combination of parts, all of which will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof in practical form.

Figure 1 is an elevation. Fig, 2 is a: plan view. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through part of the framework; Fig. 3', a sectional view showing the cooperative arrangement of the principal parts of the machine. Fig. 4 is a top perspective, Fig. 5 a longitudinal section, and Fig: 6 a bottom perspective, of the brake; and Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view through one of the rollers and its bearings.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A is a base upon which is mounted the framework supporting the various journals and operating parts of the machine. Said framework comprises castings B B at opposite sides of the machine, plates B B preferably of wood, bolted to said castings, respectively, and extend ing to the right, and plates B B bolted to the castings, respectively, and extending to the left.

I will first-explain the shafting and gearing for driving the principal parts of the machine. Cis the main driving-shaft, carrying at its middle fast pulley C and loose pulley C Fig. 2, and at its ends outside of the frame-- work pulleys C C", respectively.

D is a shaft carrying pulley D, through which it is driven from pulley C- by belt D E is a shaft carrying a large gear-Wheel E, meshing with a small gear-wheel E on shaft C. A gear-wheel E on the other end of shaft E meshes with a gear-wheel F on the end of shaft F to drive the latter, and a-gear-wheel F at the other end of shaft F meshes witha gear-wheel G on shaft G to drive the same. A sprocket-wheel F on shaft F is connected with a sprocket-wheel H on shaft H by'a sprocket-chain H and a sprocketewheel E on shaft E is connected by a sprocket-chain K with a sprocket-wheel K on a shaft K. The gear-wheels E F, sprocket-wheels F and H, and the sprocket-chain H are omitted from Fig. 1 in order to show the journalboxes for the shafts E and F. A gear-wheel K on shaft K-meshes with a gear-wheel N on shaft N to drive the latter. (See Fig. 3.)

L is a shaft driven from shaft 0 in a reverse direction by a crossed belt L, passing from pulley C over a ulley L A gear-wheel L on the other en of shaft L meshes with a gear-wheel M on shaft M, Fig. 3, thereby driving the latter.

The hemp, jute, ramie, or other fibrous stalks to be decorticated are carried into the machine by a feed-apron 1, Figs. 1 and 3, (not shown in Fig. 2,) which works between the plates B and 13", passing at its outer end around roller '2 and at its inner end around a roller 3 on shaft Hand over a tension-roller 4.

5, 6, and 7 arerollers on the shafts F, G, and E, respectively, to which the stalks are delivered from apron 1. Roller 5 has longitudinal teeth or corrugations on its surface, which act to crush and break the woody part of the stalks into short lengths or pieces. Rollers 6 and 7 have smooth surfaces and act to hold and press the stalks tightly against and carry them around the roller 5 in the path indicated by line 2 in Fig. 8. A defiec tor 8, Fig. 3, serves to direct the stalks around under roller5 to the feed-o ening of the brake located beneath said rol er. The concave surface 9 of deflector 8 furthermore acts, in conjunction with the roller 5, to grip the stalks and hold and feed them to the brake, so that the latter may operate on the endmost part of the same with the same 'efliciency as it has acted on the part which is first introduced into the brake. Heretofore there has been a material waste of fiber, due to the fact that a certain length of the buttend of the stalk drops through the brake without being operated upon and fromwhich it is therefore impossible to remove the fiber.

ICO

This is due to the fact that in the machines plates 10, 11, and 12, secured together at their ends, and two movable plates 13 and 14, adapted to be oscillated between the stationary parts. Each of the plates 10, 13, 11, and 14 has an elongated slot 15 therethrough, through which the stalks pass. When the movable plates are in the position shown in Fig. 3, these slotsv register; but when the movable plates 13 and 14 are reciprocated the slots therein are moved more or less out of register with the slots in the other plates, first in one'direction and then in the other, in a well-knovm manner, thereby crushing and breaking the woody and other part of the stalks without injury to the fiber. At the same time in order to s lit the woody part of the stalks longitudinaliy I provide teeth 16, extending transversely across the side walls of the slot 15 of the stationary plate 1 1 The deflector 8 is mounted upon the top plate 10. The movable plates 13 and 14 are reciprocated by eccentrics 17 17 on shaft C through pitmen 18 18, Fig. 2. The lower stationary plate 12 instead of being slotted, as are the other plates, is cut'away'at 19, Figs. 3 and 6. Therefore while this plate has a vertical wall 20, against which the stalks are crowded and crushed when the blades 13 and 14 are moved to the right, Fig. 3, it has no opposing vertical Wa-ll against which the stalks are crowded and crushed when the blades 13 and 14 are moved in the opposite direction. On the contrary, when plate 14 moves to the left, Fig. 3, that part of the stalk immediately be low said plate is left free and is violently shaken toward the left, thereby throwing a material part of the broken and loosened woody part of the stalk over onto the shield 21, Fig. 3. By thus removing a material portion of they woody part of the stalk at this stage of the operation I greatly facilitate the action of the other parts of the machine.

25 is a beater-drum or cylinder composed of two end plates or heads secured to shaft D and connected by bars 26, to which are secured blades 27, which travel in close proximity to the under surface of the upper end of shield 21 as the drum rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. As the stalk leaves the brake the blades 27 strike the same in rapid succession, loosening and throwing over onto the plate 28 and the around the drum 25 in the path indicated by the broken line, Fig. 3. The fiber is removed from the drum 25 and further acted upon by horizontally-moving carriers, which will now be explained.

Each of the carriers is composed of two continuous sprocket-chains 40, one at each side of the machine, connected by a series of equidistant projecting ribs or slats 41, se cured at opposite ends to blocks on chains 40. The chains of'the upper carrier pass, respectively, around sprocket-wheels 42 42 on s aft K and sprocket-wheels 43 43 on a shaft 0, Fig. 1, while the chains of the lower carriers pass, respectively, around sprocketwheels 44 44 on shaft N and sprocket-wheels 45 45 on a shaft P, Fig. 1. The bearings of shafts O and P are adjustable, by means of bolts 46, to tighten the carriers. The dis charge-apron 29, heretofore referred to, is driven from shaft P by means of a s rocketwheel 47 on said shaft, a sprocket-c ain 4'8, and a sprocket-wheel 49 on shaft 50, which carries roller 51, around which the apron passes at one end.

As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the ribs 41 on the upper part of the lower carrier project into the space between the ribs on the lower part of the upper carrier, thereby bending the fiber back and forth in a zigzag line and gripping and holding the same as it is carried forward. By acting in close proximity to the path of the blades of drum 25 the ribs on the carriers remove the fiber from the drum.

The gearing for the carriers is arranged to drive the same at a greater speed than the feed of the machineas represented, for example, by the speed of rotation of the rollers 5, 6, and 7. The result is that the fibers are held taut in a zigzag line, so that every part thereof may be operated upon.

60 and 61, Fig. 3, are rotary scrapers or cleaners mounted on shafts M and L, respectively, and each composed of two heads or end plates connected by metallic bars 62. To the bars 62 and projecting radially beyond the same are blades 63, of leather, rubber, or other suitable material. Scrapers 60 and 61 are rotated in a reverse direction to the movement of the carriers and in such "man'- ner that each of the flexible blades on the upper drum 60 passes between two successive ribs 41 of the upper carrier and presses the fiber against one of the ribs 41 of the lower carrier, while the flexible blades of the lower .drum 61 act in a corresponding manner with and numerous stoppages and delays are experienced by the stalks or parts thereof finding their way into the bearings of the rollers which act thereon, thus clogging the machine and frequently resulting in injury thereto. I effectually avoid this difficulty by 'mounting the rollers 5, 6, and 7 in bearings such as shown in Fig. 7 with reference to one end of rollers 6. is a bearing-block which has a tongue-and-groove engagement with and is held in a recess in the casting B by a plate 71, Fig. 1. The end of roller 6 rotates in close contact with the adjacent surface of plate B, and acircular boss 72 on block 7 0 projects into and closely fits a corresponding opening 73 in the end of the roller. The shaft G asses through the center of boss 73 and bloc 70. Should any portion of a stalk find its way between the contiguous surfaces of the cylinder and casting, it would be prevented from going farther by the boss 72. Rollers 5 and 7 and drum 25 are provided with similar bearings.

To permit roller 5 to yield slightly, and thus prevent injury to the machine when the stalks are accidentally fed to the rollers in lar er quantities or bunches than the space between the rollers is intended to accommodate, the bearing-blocks 70 of said roller 5 are held to their normal position by springs 75, Fig. 1, which yield to permit movement of said roller away from the other rollers.

To avoid entanglement of the material operated upon with the sprocket-chains 40 of the carrier and with their sprocket-wheels, I

locate the sprocket-wheels 42 and 44:, only one sprocket-wheel 42 showing in Fig. 2 behind shoulders 80, so that as the fibers pass from between the inner surfaces 81 81 ,Figs.

. 2 and 2*, they will be engaged by ribs of the carriers at points between (and not over) said sprocket wheels and chains.

What is claimed is,

1. In a decorticating-machine, a brake comprising a plurality of superposed slotted plates arranged in two relatively movable groups the plates of one group alternating with those of the other, the lowermost plate being cut away at one side of the slot. to per- Y mit escape of part of the stalks acted upon,

and means for im artin relative movement to the plates of t e bra e to open and close the continuous passage formed therein.

2. In a decorticating-machine, the combination with a brake composed of a plurality of superposed slotted plates relatively movable to open and close the continuous assage formed by the slots, the lowermost p ate being cut away at one side of its slot, of means for actuating the plates, and a shield pro'ecting upwardly beneath the space forme by cutting away the lower plate and acting to deflect to one side parts of the material removed from thefiber at this oint.

3. In a decort'icating-mac ine, the combination with a brake composed of a plurality of superposed slotted plates relatively movable to open and close the continuous passages formed by the slots, the lowermost plate being cut away at one side of its slot, of means for actuating the plates, a rotary beater-drum having blades thereon and located beneath the brake, and a shield extending upwardly about one side of the drum and beneath the space formed by cutting away the lower plate and acting to deflect to one side parts of the material removed from the fiber at this point. I

4. In a decorticating-machine, two endless movable carriers having transverse projecting ribs thereon, the ribs on one side of one carrier projecting into the space between the ribs on the opposlng side of the other carrler and stretching the fibrous material in a by the slots zigzag line, a scraper acting upon the fibrous material while it is stretched over the ribs on the carrier, and means for feeding the fibrous material between the carriers.

5. In a decorticating-machine, two endless movable carriers having transverse projecting ribs thereon, the ribs on one side of one carrier projecting into the spacebetween the ribs on the opposing side of the other carrier and stretching the fibrous material in a zigzag line, a rotary scraper acting uponthe fibrous material while it is stretched over the ribs on the carriers, and means for feeding the fibrous material between the carriers.

6. In a decorticating-machine, two endless movable carriers having transverse projecting ribs thereon, the ribs on one side of one carrier projecting into the space between the ribs on the opposing side ofthe other carrierand stretching the fibrous material in a zigzag line, two rotary scrapers one acting. in conjunction with the ribs on eachcarrier, and means for feeding the fibrous material to' the carriers.

7. In a decorticating-machi-ne, :crushing feed-rollers, a brake to which the material passes from said rollers, a beater-drum acting on the fibrous material after it leaves the brake, two endless movable carriers to which the fibrous material is delivered from the ccczwi drum said ocrricrs having transverseproject- In testimony whereof I hzwe signed this ing ribs thereon the ribs on one side of one specification iii-the presence of two subscribcarrier projecting into the space between the ing Witnesses. ribs on the opposing side of the other carrier WALTER J. HQLLIER.

and stretching the fibrous material in a zig- Witnesses: zag line, and two rotary scrapers one acting S. VALENTINE SAKBY,

O. RJSAVAGE.

in conjunction with the ribs on each carrier. 

